Undergraduate FAQs
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Engineering Physics is an interdisciplinary field of study where new and advanced materials, devices and systems are engineered based on our fundamental understanding of physics. Our faculty and students are involved in pushing the envelope of new technologies. Engineering Physics combines Physics and Engineering to solve the most challenging problems in society today. Some call it “Applied Physics” or “Engineering Sciences”. It is more applied than Physics, and is one of the broadest disciplines in Engineering. Engineering Physics students will have knowledge of mechanics (Civil and Mechanical Engineering), electricity and magnetism and its application in electronic devices and circuits (Electrical Engineering), computation and simulation (Software and Computer Engineering), Thermodynamics (Chemical Engineering), properties of materials (Materials Science and Engineering), and quantum mechanics (Physics). As you can see, the program provides a breadth of knowledge that cannot be obtained in any other program. This is the knowledge required to drive technology forward and make a real impact on society today.
Areas of specialization include Photonics Engineering, Nano- and Micro-device Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Smart System Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering. You can find detailed information about these specializations on our website.
Co-op students in Engineering Physics have worked with a wide range of employers including Wescam, Apple, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Ontario Power Generation, and many more!
For more information about McMaster Engineering’s Co-op and Career Services, check out the ECCS webpage.
All programs have limited enrolment, therefore the average required for acceptance changes every year and is dependent on the number of applicants.
All students in McMaster’s Engineering Program complete a common Level 1 year before selecting their fields.
Please refer to the Undergraduate Calendar for requirements to complete a degree in Engineering Physics.
Multi-term courses (such as ENGPHYS 4A06) run from September – April. Students must be enrolled in both Part A (Fall) and Part B (Winter) to fully enrol/complete the course.
When you enrol in Part A in the Fall term, Mosaic will automatically enrol you in Part B for the Winter term.
A course is worth the number of units identified in the final digit of the course code. For example, ENG PHYS 2NE3 is worth 3 units and ENGPHYS 2P04 is worth 4 units.
ENGPHYS 4A06 is worth 6 units and runs from September – April, with a weight of 3 units per term.
The Department of Engineering Physics endeavours to provide conflict-free options for students however, there are times when a conflict is unavoidable.
If you are following the Undergraduate Calendar and cannot avoid a conflict with required courses, please contact the Undergraduate Administrative Assistant in the Department of Engineering Physics, Emma Trueman at truemaeh@mcmaster.ca
Students who are out of Calendar may not be able to circumvent conflicts with courses from different levels. We often suggest that lower level courses are completed prior to continuing with the program.
To continue enrolling in two courses that conflict, please submit a Course Conflict Form to the Engineering Physics Office. Be sure to indicate the specific sections that are in conflict and include in your submission:
– A copy of your transcript (you can print off your unofficial transcript from Mosaic)
– A letter stating the reason for your request
– Your academic plan (how you plan to be successful in both courses, as well as your future course plans)
You can request to waive the prerequisite for a course with an Engineering Permission Form.
Be sure to fill out the top portion and the ‘Prerequisite Waiver’ box and submit to the Civil Engineering Office. Include with your form submission:
– A copy of your transcript (you can print off your unofficial transcript from Mosaic)
– A letter stating the reason for your request
– Your academic plan (how you plan to be successful, as well as your future course plans)
Please note that approval of any request form is at the discretion of the instructor.
Due to the number of Technical Electives that are offered in the Department of Engineering Physics, we are unable to schedule all electives conflict free.
That said, we do our very best to request that popular courses (based on the Technical Electives form submissions – due at the end of March in the previous Academic Year) and courses within specialty areas are scheduled without conflict. Unfortunately, there will be cases where courses conflict with one another. We suggest selecting different courses to fulfill the requirements of the course.
If you still wish to register in both courses in conflict, you can submit a Course Conflict request form (as outlined above.
Students may request to review their graded Final Examination up to one year after writing.
Students may be granted permission only once and after emailing your request to the Engineering Physics Office. The request should include:
- Student Name
- Student Number
- Email Address
- Phone Number
- Course
- Instructor
- Reason(s) for Review
Upon approval of the request, students will be contacted with an appointment date/time to review their exam in the Civil Engineering Office.
The McMaster Engineering Society has teamed up with the Student Success Centre to offer tutoring to students in Engineering.
To find out more about Tutoring services or becoming a Tutor with the MES, click here.
You can enrol using Mosaic. Learn more about the enrolment process at the registrar’s office web page.
You can view your exam schedule in Mosaic by selecting the My Exam Schedule tile.
Reach out to engphys@mcmaster.ca to inquire further!
Please visit the registrat’s office Dates and Deadlines web page for sessional dates, enrolment dates, convocation dates, aid & award dates, and fee dates.
Please contact the Department of Engineering Physics at engphys@mcmaster.ca.
Graduate FAQs
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The School of Graduate Studies has created a detailed FAQ page here.
Each program has its own requirements.
The M.Eng Program is a course-based program where students are required to complete courses and an on-campus research project. You can find the program structure on our website.
The M.A.Sc. Program is a thesis-based program where students are required to complete courses in addition to writing and defending a thesis. You can find the program structure on our website.
The Ph.D. degree is a thesis-based program where students are required to take courses, complete comprehensive exams, and write & defend a thesis. You can find the program structure on our website.
All Graduate Students are required to complete a Career Planning Report (CARP) which can be found at this link.
The School of Graduate Studies has put together a website with detailed information on how to enrol, and other important information regarding your offer.
https://gs.mcmaster.ca/ive-accepted-my-offer/how-to-enroll/
The School of Graduate Studies has put together a website with detailed information regarding dates and deadlines: https://gs.mcmaster.ca/current-students/dates-and-deadlines/
The School of Graduate Studies has put together a website with all Graduate Student Resources.
https://gs.mcmaster.ca/current-students/resources/
The School of Graduate Studies has put together a website with detailed information: https://gs.mcmaster.ca/current-students/completing-your-degree/
The School of Graduate Studies has put together a website with detailed Scholarship and Bursary information: https://gs.mcmaster.ca/current-students/scholarships/
The School of Graduate Studies has put together a website with detailed information about fees and payments: https://gs.mcmaster.ca/current-students/fees-and-payment/
Please contact the Department of Engineering Physics at engphys@mcmaster.ca
Technical Resources for Students
As students transition to online coursework for the remainder of the term, there are two key technology support teams that are available to help them make the most of virtual tools and services. University Technology Services (UTS) and the MacPherson Institute are available to provide remote support for a range of tools and services that students may find themselves using within their virtual learning environment.
The MacPherson Institute provides technology resources for teaching and learning. Please see below the services that MacPherson supports and corresponding technical support contact information:
- Avenue to Learn: For any issues, please submit a ticket at: http://avenue.mcmaster.ca/support/
- WebEx: For any issues, please reach out to WebEx 24/7 support at: 1-866-229-3239
University Technology Services (UTS) supports institution-wide productivity tools. Please contact uts@mcmaster.ca for questions pertaining to any of the services below. For an overview of IT tools and services that enable you to work remotely, please visit: https://cto.mcmaster.ca/it-updates/it-continuity-tools-services/
- MacID Support: Your personalized credentials that allow access to various resources such as Mosaic, email, library resources, Wi-Fi etc. UTS suppors this service. More info here: https://www.mcmaster.ca/uts/selfservice/macid.html
- Virtual UTS Student Labs: This virtual desktop service allows users to access UTS Student Labs anywhere there is internet connectivity. More details here: https://cto.mcmaster.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/VMWare-View-Client-Installation-Instructions.pdf
- Web and videoconferencing at McMaster: The university offers three web and video conferencing services: Microsoft Teams and Zoom (both supported by UTS) as well as WebEx (support by the MacPherson Institute). This article breaks down the difference between these platforms: https://cto.mcmaster.ca/web-and-video-conferencing-tips-for-the-mcmaster-community/
- Office365 (O365): The O365 suite of products and services (i.e. Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, OneDrive, and more) is available to all McMaster community members. Please visit the Office 365 Hub for advice and support for these tools: https://office365.mcmaster.ca/
- Adobe Creative Cloud for Students (Temporary): Adobe has provided temporary at home access for all McMaster students. Details to access here: https://cto.mcmaster.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Adobe-Creative-Cloud-Temporary-Access-for-Students.pdf
- LinkedIn Learning: Active McMaster students, faculty and staff have free, unlimited access to video tutorials related to business, media, and technology through LinkedIn Learning, a self-service training site. More details here: https://www.mcmaster.ca/uts/linkedinlearning/
Best practices for online coursework
For the above services and tools to work as efficiently as possible, please follow the tips below as you access courses online and take tests remotely:
- Turn off all unnecessary programs, especially Netflix, YouTube, games like Xbox or PS4, anything that might be downloading or streaming.
- If your house is shared, ask others to refrain from doing those activities during the test.
- If you can, connect to the internet via a wired connection.
- Move close to the Wi-Fi hub in your house.
- Restart your computer, 1-2 hours before the exam. A restart can be very helpful for several computer hiccups.
Please reach out to UTS at uts@mcmaster.ca with any questions about the information above.
FAQs – COVID-19 Information
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You can find more information, resources and COVID-19-related FAQs on the McMaster COVID-19’s Back to Mac web page.
I have questions about due dates, deadlines, and other academic concerns. Where do I go for answers?
The registrar’s office has a COVID-19 information site that they update regularly. It deals with academic questions like due dates, deadlines, course withdrawal and other academic concerns, as well as admissions, exam schedules and registering for the spring/summer semester.
Please visit the Technical Resources for Students section above for a list of resources available to you.
McMaster University takes the academic success and the emotional health and well-being of students seriously, and we recognize that both feel at risk during these uncertain times. Please be assured that instructors have carefully considered the revised course plans for the Winter 2020 courses so that they are clear, equitable, and align with our shared academic expectations. The revisions were not created to disadvantage any students, but to provide the best possible learning outcome in these less than ideal circumstances.
The courses taken in the 2019 Fall Term were not subject to the circumstances that we now face and therefore, the grades will remain as they are. No modifications will be made.
The School of Graduate Studies has a detailed FAQ listed on their website here.